The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the damp chill of the riverbank. Saka's breath came in ragged gasps as he knelt in the shallow pool of crimson, his reflection distorted in the rippling surface. The battle had left its marks—not just on his body, but in the stillness that followed. The forest around him seemed to hold its breath, the only sound the sluggish flow of the river and the distant cry of a carrion bird circling overhead.
The snake, its scales glistening with blood and river water, dragged itself weakly across the mud, leaving a smeared trail behind. Its once-coiled power was now reduced to desperate, twitching movements. Saka watched it, his golden eyes unreadable.
Saka:" He's finally had enough,"
Saka murmured, more to himself than anyone else.
The water beneath him rippled, and the Purple Giant's face emerged in the reflection—a distorted, sneering visage that seemed to pulse with malice.
Purple Giant:" Now he's running away, he's scared," the
Giant growled, his voice like grinding stone.
Purple Giant:" Catch up and slaughter him."
Saka exhaled slowly, his fingers twitching at his sides.
Saka:" No. He wants to live… like all creatures."
The Giant's laughter was a thunderous, mocking thing.
Purple Giant:" Saka!! He'll come back for revenge—stronger, faster, hungrier. Mercy is a weakness. Crush him now before he slips away!"
Saka clenched his jaw.
Saka:" He won't come back. I've beaten him to a pulp."
A sudden, violent whip of movement—a scaled tail lashed out from the undergrowth, striking Saka square in the chest and sending him crashing back into the river. The icy water swallowed him whole, the current tugging at his limbs like greedy hands.
The Giant's voice echoed from the depths, reverberating through the water itself,
the Purple Giant:" I told you, you bastard! If you had crushed him when you had the chance, he'd fear you. Now? You've shown him mercy. And mercy makes you prey."
The serpent surged through the water, its massive body coiling around Saka with terrifying speed. Ribs cracked under the pressure, the pain white-hot and blinding. Saka's vision darkened at the edges as the snake tightened its grip, dragging him deeper into the abyss.
The Giant's face loomed in the water below, grinning.
the Purple Giant:" This isn't just training for your body, Saka—it's training for your mind. Kill the weakness inside you. Or let him kill you."
Gritting his teeth, Saka forced his shattered arm free. Flesh and bone knitted back together in seconds, his unnatural healing sealing the wounds as fast as they were made. The snake's lidless eyes locked onto him, its grip unrelenting.
"Take him to the bottom," the Giant commanded. "Drown him in the dark."
With a burst of strength, Saka twisted in the serpent's grasp, his arms locking around its throat. The water churned around them as they wrestled, two predators locked in a death embrace. Saka squeezed, his muscles burning, his mind screaming—
Saka:" Please, finish!" he begged, his voice raw. "Please, finish!... I beg you!"
The serpent thrashed, its tail whipping against the riverbed, stirring up clouds of silt. But Saka held on, his grip unyielding even as his lungs screamed for air. Minutes stretched into eternity before, at last, the great beast went still.
Saka dragged himself onto the riverbank, his body trembling with exhaustion. The serpent's corpse floated lifelessly downstream, carried away by the relentless current. He collapsed onto the mud, his chest heaving, his fingers digging into the earth as if to remind himself he was still alive.
The Giant's reflection shimmered in the water once more.
the Purple Giant:" Remember, Saka… the real battle is yet to come. You must keep moving."
Saka didn't respond. His gaze drifted to the horizon .
the Purple Giant :"Walk with this river," the Giant continued. "But stop now, and you'll meet those who'd love to see you broken. And trust me… you don't want that."
The scene shifted—a gust of wind rustled through the trees, carrying the faint scent of charred metal and ozone.
At the base of the great tree where Saka's collar had exploded, a figure knelt in the dirt. Clad in an armored suit lined with circuitry, the man ran his gloved fingers over the scorched earth, his helmet's visor reflecting the Sun light .
the armored man mused, his voice a low, calculated hum
the armored man: "So… he survived...", "As expected from the one who carries the Salamander's Blood[1]."
He rose to his feet, his armor whirring softly as it adjusted to his movements. In the distance, the forest loomed—dark, untamed, and full of secrets.
the armored man: "Time to file a report," he muttered. "And then… deeper into the woods we go."
His boots crunched over broken branches as he vanished into the shadows, the hunt now truly beginning.
[1] Salamander blood is a scientific term given by scientists to certain molecules that prevent the body from dying, are capable of regenerating organs, and protect the body from decomposition. These molecules resemble platelets, but they heal wounds and regenerate even complex organs.